Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1887-04-10
CHAPTER. XXI.

i AM YOUR
Once more the tramp, and for the las
time.
1t WAS in the month of December. Robert
Edgerly had fingered on in America since
June. Late in the autumn Brownie JOINED
him. There was to be a reunion of all the
scattered Carstones in the stone house 81
Christmas.
There had been change upon change, tol
all but Shirley. As if to annihilate all the
old from the face of nature itself, a new
railway had been built through Linwood,
1t cut through the woods where the vii
layers had been wont to picnic, on Fourth
Of July and on other occasions, time Out OF
mind. This fine old wood had been the
last bit of native forest of any size left in
that region. Now its picturesqueness was
destroyed by the new railway.
Along the iron track of the new road
walked, of a crisp, frosty morning, our old
friend, Rip the Tramp. On second thoghts
yes he is our friend. He is indeed very
far gone in trampism now, and disreputable
as t'other party's record before election.
but for all that we won't disown him.
No, by the holy dollar. We have been
among grand people of ate,sbut We will
not therefore deny our old acquaintance.
You would not have known Rip. ES'
posure, over drinking, under and over
feeding and wickedness had written their
story all over him. He skunk along,
regular tramp gait. His trousers legs were
slitted to the knees. His eyes were red
and watery. The one sign that distin-
cuisines infallibly q tramp from every other
human being is his shoes. They are in
variably wretched, down at the heel, split
out and utterly hopeless, As long as a
human being has a yestige of responsibility
left he proclaims it by a pair of decent
shoes.
Rips foot covering, if You could call il
that, scarcely chung to his disreputable
feet. He coughed hoarsely from time to
time. His arms and knees trembled. He
was bent like a man of 70. A doctor would
have p~rophesied that bis body would be
found on the dissecting table of a medical
college in three mOnths'time.
Rim talked aloud TO himself, rs most un-
cultured persons do. He looked about
him as he slOuched along, now ut the I'M
familiar iron track Of the new rail way. He
suddenly found himself almost at the very
SPOT where he knocked poor sam over.
lie was uncomfortable ~ he recollected it..
"Achr' he exclaimed, 81 never meant
10 kill him. The old fool! Why didn't
he keep off? ! hain't been here since.
Twas full eight years ago. But if them
LinwOoders ii ketch me even now 'twould
he all up with me, | reckon. What'll
do? If come 10 LinwOOd, I'll he arrested,
III don't come to LinwoOd, don't get my
rights. AS . fellow might say, I'm between
the devil and deep sea
lie stopped to cough, and went on with
his meditatiOns aloud:
81 didn't know these woods hal been
cut away so or ] wouldn't a come yer III
daylight. If ! can git where I'm agOin'
before anybody senses me, I'm all right.
If | can't-But | don't know what !
wouldn't rather do than To face a Lin
wooder right here. I'd rather take a bath,
by goll!'
lie saw something upon the track and
stopped To pick it up. He wavered as he
stopped and staggered to recover himself.
drunk agin, by Peter?' he remarked,
cody.
But Rip was not drunk.
The article he picked up was a handker-
chief. 1t was a lady's, small snowy and
yerv fine. He held it up in his fingers and
made a face at 1t.
"Be COLL dinged, i'll ever see SIGH a wipe
as that! Hello, there's letters on it. Them
amt plain English. My son, polish up
your fancy larnin'. There's a b and
there's an 'E'-'B. F.. What's that stand
fur? There she comes, by COLL! steppin'
along this yer blessed track-Brownie Edg-
erly, She walks a. if the ground wasn't
good enough to hold her. Always walked
that way. Hay, Missiz-GOOd God, there's
the caren